Young Dungannon man who breached a restraining order and assaulted his ex, gets five-month sentence

Court news

Published:22:00Monday 02 March 2015

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A Dungannon man has been ordered to spend five months in a young offenders centre for breaching a restraining order, and assaulting his ex.

Jaime Nunes from Union Place admitted to “harassing” his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child, despite a court order banning him from going near her.

The court heard how, at around 11am on November 2 last year, his victim was in Dungannon town centre when she received a number of text messages from Nunes ordering her to go home - which “she felt threatened by”.

The prosecution went on to say how the young woman then met 19-year-old Nunes in Dungannon’s Scotch Street, where he grabbed her “by the body with both hands and tried to drag her to his house”.

But she managed to get into a taxi, before seeking medical treatment for bruising around her ribs.

Speaking in his defence, counsel spoke of a “young man who’s trying to better himself for his own future” through studies at South West College.

He went on to say that his client had adhered to the stringent bail conditions imposed on him in relation to the case - and that the injured party had now requested that the restraining order against Nunes be lifted.

In answer, Judge Meehan said: “This is not unusual in domestic violence cases.”

To which counsel replied: “I am not saying it is, I am simply putting the defence’s case.”

After establishing in court the fact that Nunes had begun proceedings in relation to the child involved, Judge Meehan added: “Include the fact that domestic violence offenders use that concept of contact with the child as a way to retain contact with the woman.”

But as he passed judgement, Judge Meehan told Nunes: “The more serious offence here is that you breached a court order and... the woman had to suffer again.”

Nunes was given a total of five months behind bars for the two offences, but after lodging an appeal to the sentence bail was fixed at £200.